sharing reflections on relationship, possessions and building peaceable habitation

All packed up and nowhere to go….

We just discovered that our local Salvation Army drop off center has closed in response to facing $400/week in dump fees to dispose of people’s unusable discards they would dump at the site after hours when nobody was there to reject it.

So…. every thrift shop for miles around is stuffed to the gills with the legitimate contributions which are no longer being taken by the Salvation Army. Nobody will accept as much as a donated shirt. We had to turn around and bring home again the four bags of clothing we’d gotten motivated to cull from our closets this weekend. Although they have no holes or stains there is no easy way to get them into the donation stream.

What do I think of all this?

Well, while decluttering is well and good and necessary it is far better yet, to avoid accumulating piles of stuff in the first place. Unless we will keep it, love it and use it.

On the other hand, thinking about the folks who would discard unwanted things where someone else has to deal with them…

Our county transfer station will only allow active customers of an established solid waste disposal company to bring “hard-to-handle” solid waste to be dumped — folks who handle their own waste disposal — country folk who burn or bury — can’t bring decrepit furniture or worn out appliances to the county transfer station. (And only two “hard to handle” loads per year are allowed.)

The second is that the transfer station is only open during the hours when working people work and in this county, working people need to work.
I’m getting very angry about a consumer stream that hasn’t required the manufacturers of all this overabundance to be responsible for repurposing or recycling worn out furniture, cars, and appliances.

On a brighter note, the Humane Society did take a bag full of frayed towels to use with their furry orphans.

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Author: American Declutterer

I've had three careers, moved among thirteen states, and cleared four houses after loved ones moved on. Sometimes you just have to look at all the stuff and laugh. Then get back to discarding.
View all posts by American Declutterer